"Therefore I say unto you, what things so ever you desire, when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you shall have them." Mark 11:24.

When was the last time you asked and believed that God could do something seemingly impossible? Are you believing and seeing yourself realizing your goals? What words are you speaking regarding your circumstances? Or else, are you allowing a disappointment, another person or an obstacle steal your dreams and cause you to become discouraged and give up on what you desire?

I once read about a young mountain climber whose career was abruptly brought to a halt when his right foot had to be amputated. After being fitted with an artificial limb, he went back to scaling heights he had never yet achieved. When asked how he managed it, he simply said, "When your heart is in it and you believe, nothing can stop you."

Maybe you are not where you should be right now. Or perhaps, situations have not transpired on your time schedule. But don't lose your faith. Start now to open yourself up to new possibilities for your future. It doesn't matter who you are or what has taken place in the past, God can still make a way. It is not too late to bring your goals to fruition and live a full and joyous life.

Thus, believe, just believe. Then, daily, say what you desire, as the words you speak fuel your attitude. Select helpful words in order to create the right conditions to attract your heart's desires. The Apostle Paul told Timothy that "words of faith" nourish, but idle words starve the spirit and make it weak (1 Timothy 4:6-7). Paul was encouraging Timothy not to give up but, instead, to spread hope throughout the world. Thoughts and words of doubt, discouragement, or fear, as Paul mentioned, can prevent us from receiving all God has for us.

Words define your reality. So for the next two hours, I'd like you to replace any negative talk with optimistic declarations such as, "God is at work in my life," "Something good is going to happen for my family," "I'm in perfect health," and "I am on the threshold of unparalleled success." After the two hours, ask yourself, "Do I feel better?" Now, continue this exercise for the rest of the day and realize that what you say can change the course of your destiny.

After that, each day, continue uttering phrases such as:

-- I believe that this year God will open closed doors. So, I will knock again.

-- I believe I'll overcome my difficult circumstances, because God is with me, and He will bring me through my challenges.

-- I believe I am close to victory. Hence, I will not quit.

-- I believe God will answer my prayers according to His will, since He has my best interest at heart.

Scripture says in Proverbs 1:31, "So, they will eat the fruit of their own way . . ." Remember, whatever you believe can come true in your life. Belief is a positive; it draws out the best in you. So let go of what didn't work out before, and move forward to the new beginning that God has waiting.

A few nights ago, I was in the kitchen making homemade pizza with my daughters. I told them an interesting story I had heard about a man who developed "The mortgage-lifter tomato."

His name was M.C. "Radiator Charlie" Byles. In the 1930s, this radiator auto mechanic, with no experience in breeding tomatoes, had an idea in which he believed. And so, he planted together in his West Virginia garden some of the largest tomatoes he could find.

Season after season, Byles persisted with honest effort, believing in his dream. He didn't recede, although progress was slow. The result, I explained, was a harvest of sizeable, plump, tasty, red tomatoes. So Byles saved the seeds from those tomatoes, replanted them, harvested their crop and eventually sold the seeds from those tomatoes. Soon customers traveled for miles to purchase his famous large and mouth-watering seedlings.

Before long, Byles made enough money to pay off the mortgage on his house. Thus, he named the tomato, "the mortgage lifter."

Byles never went to school, nor did he know prominent people or have connections. "However," I conveyed to my daughters as I placed our cheese pizza adorned with sliced tomatoes in the oven, "he believed he could do anything and persisted until he realized his dream." As a result, Byles created a most remarkable variety of tomato.

"In life," someone once said to me, "you have to believe."

Like Byles, there is no limit to where your dreams will take you, making yours and the lives of others better.

So resolve to ask and believe. God can restore things you deemed might never come to pass and can provide what you need in a manner that will astonish you. For today, God is saying to you, "If you believe, all things are possible."

Remember ... this is your year! There is a miraculous power in believing.